My Camera Obscura

A SECOND LOOK

- TODD NELSON

I was missing out on the nocturnal goings on in the forest around my house. Numerous neighbors have trail cameras and were sharing glimpses of its denizens, like an episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. (Ask a grandparent.)

The postings on Facebook were exciting to behold, especially the perennial analytical conversation about bobcats versus cougars. Was it, or wasn’t it? Tail length, markings, body size: what did the camera video reveal? Is it true that the cougar inhabits our square? The trail cam is not definitive proof, just photographic evidence.

Coyotes, deer, porcupines, foxes, even fisher cats—apparently, there could be a whole nightshift at work out back in my woods. And since it was about time for bears to be rousing themselves from hibernation, their appearance on game cams seemed imminent. I wanted in.

UPS dropped it off. I set to work, manual in hand, preparing to join the trail camerati. While usually loathe to read the manufacturer’s directions (typical!), this time I followed instructions, setting date and time, image density, activation time, and video/ photo choices. I wanted still photos and video, color, sound, and high resolution—the whole trail cam shebang.